1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to manual force applying tools and, in particular, bending tools designed to bend or shape general purpose building wire or cable.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
General purpose building wiring or cable is widely employed in a number of different building construction applications, including residential, commercial and industrial buildings. As is often the case, the cable or wire used in building construction requires bending or shaping in order for installation through a conduit body or fitting. As known in the art, in application, the conduit has an entry and an exit for the cable to pass. In many conduit designs, in order for the cable to enter the conduit and run though the exit, the cable must have a 90 degree bend. However, the cables or wires, such as the 500 MCM (thousand circular mils) cable, are usually heavy, and very difficult to manually bend or shape. Available tools presently employed for such bending and shaping are cumbersome devices which are difficult to manipulate, particularly in precarious positions in which the workman often find themselves.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome shortcomings of the prior art.